Legwear

ABSTRACT

A foot cover in accordance with an embodiment includes: a main body part including a sole part which covers a sole and a heel part which covers a heel; and a nonslip part provided on an inside of the heel part which inside faces a back surface of the heel, the nonslip part having elasticity lower than that of a cloth of the heel part. The nonslip part includes strip-shaped parts which prevent the cloth of the heel part from expanding and contracting in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

This Nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 onPatent Application No. 2015-018807 filed in Japan on Feb. 2, 2015, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to legwear to be worn by a leg. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to legwear which preventsdisplacement or prevents a foot from being out of the legwear due tomotions such as walking.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, legwear such as socks has been used for the purpose ofpreventing a user from feeling discomfort, fatigue, coldness etc. whenthe user wears shoes directly on the user's bare legs. For example, in acase of wearing shoes on legwear, there occurs friction between thelegwear and the shoes. When the friction between the shoes and thelegwear exceeds friction between the legs and the legwear, the legwearfollows a motion of the shoes instead of a motion of the legs, so thatthe legwear is displaced or a foot is out of the legwear. In a casewhere the legwear is displaced or a foot is out of the legwear due to amotion such as walking while the user wears the legwear, comfort inwearing shoes is deteriorated. Accordingly, legwear which is less likelyto be displaced or less likely to allow a foot to be out of the legwearhas been requested. In particular, since a foot cover is designed to behidden in shoes when a user wears the shoes, the foot cover covers onlya small area of a user's foot, so that the foot cover is likely to bedisplaced or a foot is likely to be out of the foot cover while the userwears the foot cover.

In order to prevent the legwear from being displaced or a foot frombeing out of the legwear, Patent Literatures 1 to 6 propose legwearhaving respective types of nonslip parts on insides of heel parts whichcover heels.

For example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 each propose legwear in which anonslip part having a strip shape is provided horizontally on an insideof a heel part. Patent Literatures 3 and 4 each propose legwear in whicha plurality of nonslip parts having a protrusion shape or a fragmentshape are provided incontinuously on an inside of a heel part. PatentLiteratures 5 and 6 each propose legwear in which a nonslip part havinga planar shape is provided on an inside of a heel part.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature [Patent Literature 1]

Japanese Publication of Unexamined Utility Model Application JitsukaiheiNo. 5-19304 (Publication date: Mar. 9, 1993)

[Patent Literature 2]

Japanese Patent Application Publication Tokukaihei No. 9-59804(Publication date: Mar. 4, 1997)

[Patent Literature 3]

Japanese Patent Application Publication Tokukaihei No. 10-292206(Publication date: Nov. 4, 1998)

[Patent Literature 4]

Japanese Patent Application Publication Tokukaihei No. 11-335905(Publication date: Dec. 7, 1999)

[Patent Literature 5]

Japanese Publication of Unexamined Utility Model Application JitsukaiheiNo. 6-51207 (Publication date: Jul. 12, 1994)

[Patent Literature 6]

Japanese Publication of Registered Utility Model Application No. 3182636(Registration date: Mar. 13, 2013)

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

One cause for a foot cover being displaced or a foot getting out of thefoot cover is that cloth of a heel part of the foot cover is pulledforward due to contact and friction between the ground and a foot inmotions such as walking, so that a nonslip part is displaced. That is,the nonslip part provided on an inside of the cloth of the heel part ismoved by following expansion and contraction of the cloth of the heelpart. Furthermore, since a mechanism of walking includes not only abending and stretching motion of an ankle in a vertical direction butalso a motion of the ankle in a horizontal direction (extraversiondirection or inversion direction), the cloth of the heel part is pulledin a horizontal direction, too. Consequently, the nonslip part cannotstay at a predetermined position and cannot yield a sufficient nonslipeffect. As a result, the foot cover is more likely to be displaced or afoot is more likely to get out of the foot cover.

The above conventional techniques do not consider the displacement ofthe nonslip part caused by following expansion and contraction of thecloth of the heel part, so that the nonslip part cannot yield asufficient nonslip effect.

For example, in the configurations of Patent Literatures 1 and 2, sincea nonslip part having a strip shape is provided horizontally, expansionand contraction of the cloth of the heel part in a horizontal directionis subdued, but expansion and contraction of the cloth of the heel partin a vertical direction cannot be subdued. Consequently, in PatentLiteratures 1 and 2, the displacement of the nonslip part in a verticaldirection is likely to occur, so that the nonslip part cannot yield asufficient nonslip effect.

In the configurations of Patent Literatures 3 and 4, since nonslip partshaving a protrusion shape or fragment shape are scattered, it isimpossible to subdue expansion and contraction of the cloth of the heelpart in vertical and horizontal directions. Consequently, in PatentLiteratures 3 and 4, the displacement of the nonslip part in verticaland horizontal directions is likely to occur, so that the nonslip partcannot yield a sufficient nonslip effect.

In the configurations of Patent Literatures 5 and 6, since a nonslippart having a planar shape is provided so as to cover a back surface ofa heel, it is possible to subdue expansion and contraction of the clothof the heel part in vertical and horizontal directions. However, thenonslip part does not fit the heel, and a gap appears. Consequently, theconfigurations of Patent Literatures 5 and 6 cannot yield a sufficientnonslip effect. Furthermore, in the configurations of Patent Literatures5 and 6, since the nonslip part having a planar shape covers the backsurface of the heel, skin is sensitive to sweat etc., so that comfort inwearing the legwear is deteriorated, which is a new problem.

The present invention was made in view of the foregoing problems. Anobject of the present invention is to provide legwear capable ofsuitably subduing the legwear from being displaced or a foot from beingout of the legwear without decreasing comfort in wearing the legwear.

Solution to Problem

In order to solve the foregoing problems, legwear of the presentinvention includes: a main body part including a sole part which coversa sole and a heel part which covers a heel, the main body part havingelasticity; and a nonslip part provided on an inside of the heel part,the nonslip part having elasticity lower than that of a cloth of theheel part, the nonslip part including strip-shaped parts which preventthe cloth of the heel part from expanding and contracting in a verticaldirection and a horizontal direction, where the vertical direction is adirection perpendicular to the sole part and the horizontal direction isa width direction of the sole part.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

With the present invention, it is possible to realize legwear capable ofsuitably subduing the legwear from being displaced or a foot from beingout of the legwear without decreasing comfort in wearing the legwear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an outline configuration of afoot cover for a right foot, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the shape of a nonslip partillustrated in FIG. 1. (a) of FIG. 2 is a rear view of the nonslip part.(b) of FIG. 2 is a side view of the nonslip part.

(a) through (m) of FIG. 3 are rear views illustrating respectivevariations of the nonslip part in accordance with the presentembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a rear view illustrating another variation of the nonslip partin accordance with the present embodiment.

(a) through (f) of FIG. 5 are rear views illustrating nonslip partstested in Examples.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a test method carried out inExamples.

(a) through (c) of FIG. 7 are graphs of the results of the tests carriedout in Examples.

(a) through (c) of FIG. 8 are schematic views illustrating aconfiguration of the nonslip part included in the legwear of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

The following description will discuss an embodiment of the presentinvention with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. The present embodimentwill describe an example in which the present invention is applied to afoot cover (legwear).

It should be noted that the present invention is applicable not only toa foot cover exposing an instep and an ankle of a foot but also tovarious types of legwear designed to cover an instep and an ankle of afoot.

[Configuration of Foot Cover 1]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an outline configuration of afoot cover 1 for a right foot, in accordance with the presentembodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the foot cover 1 includes a mainbody part 2 to be worn by a foot F and a nonslip part 3 for preventing(i) the main body part 2 from being displaced and/or (ii) the heel frombeing out of the main body part 2.

(Main Body Part 2)

The main body part 2 includes a sole part 21 which covers a sole, a toepart 22 which covers toes, side parts 23 which cover respective sides ofthe foot F, and a heel part 24 which covers a heel. The main body part 2further includes an opening part 2 a via which the foot F is insertedinto or is taken off the foot cover 1. The opening part 2 a ispositioned oppositely in upward and downward directions to the sole part21.

The opening part 2 a is widely opened so that an instep and an ankle areexposed in the opening part 2 a. Consequently, when a shoe is worn, themain part 2 is hidden entirely in the shoe.

The main body part 2 is made of highly elastic cloth. The cloth of themain body part 2 is preferably one with excellent air-permeability andmoisture-absorption property. Preferable examples of the cloth include(i) a natural fiber such as cotton, linen, wool, or silk and (ii) achemical fiber such as rayon, nylon, acrylic, or polyester.

Note that, in the present embodiment, the main body part 2 is knitted bya knitting machine, however, the main body part 2 can be formed bysewing pieces of cloth which have been weaved by a weaving machine.

(Nonslip Part 3)

The nonslip part 3 is a strip-shaped member made of a material havinglower elasticity and a higher friction coefficient than the cloth of themain body part 2. The nonslip part 3 is provided inside of the heel part24 so as to be on a region which is located lower than a malleolus(lateral malleolus and medial malleolus) and behind the malleolus. Thenonslip part 3 contacts the heel, so as to prevent (i) the main bodypart 2 from being displaced and/or (ii) the foot F from being out of themain body part 2.

The material of the nonslip part 3 is not particularly limited, providedthat it has lower elasticity and a higher friction coefficient than thecloth of the main body part 2. Various materials can be employed as thematerial of the nonslip part 3. Examples of the material include resinshaving relatively large friction resistance to skin ((i) a natural resinsuch as natural rubber and (ii) a synthesized resin such as silicon gumor urethane gum).

In the present embodiment, the nonslip part 3 is formed by attaching(applying) a resin etc. to a nonslip part forming cloth (base material)so as to have a sheet shape and is then attached to the heel part 24 ofthe main body part 2. By thus forming the nonslip part 3 so as to have asheet shape, it is possible to easily attach the nonslip part 3 to aninside of the heel part 24 of the main body part 2 which inside has athree-dimensional curve.

The shape of the resin etc. to be attached to the nonslip part formingcloth is not required to match the nonslip part forming cloth, and cantherefore be any pattern such as a particulate pattern or a floralpattern. It is further preferable to provide minute roughness on asurface of the resin etc. so as to increase a friction coefficient.

The nonslip part forming cloth (base material) is preferably clothhaving certain elasticity. By employing cloth having certain elasticityas the base material, it is possible for the cloth of the heel part 24to be further effectively prevented from being expanded and contractedin vertical and horizontal directions without preventing the cloth ofthe heel part 24 from suitably fitting the shape of the heel, ascompared with a case of directly applying or attaching a resin etc. tothe cloth of the heel part 24 (main body part 2).

The nonslip part forming cloth (base material) is preferably clothhaving roughness. For example, in a case where the nonslip part formingcloth is knitted cloth or woven cloth etc. which has roughness caused bya knitted pattern or a weave pattern, it is possible to easily provide asurface of the resin etc. with minute roughness, by thinly applyingresin etc. to the nonslip part forming cloth. This allows an increase infriction coefficient.

Alternatively, for example a resin can be directly applied or attachedto the cloth of the heel part 24 of the main body part 2.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the shape of the nonslip part 3(see FIG. 1). (a) of FIG. 2 is a rear view of the nonslip part 3. (b) ofFIG. 2 is a side view of the nonslip part 3. Note that Achilles' tendonA is not illustrated in (a) of FIG. 2.

As illustrated in (a) of FIG. 2 and (b) of FIG. 2, the nonslip part 3has a shape obtained by combining a plurality of strip-shaped partsextending in different directions so that the cloth of the heel part 24is subdued from expanding and contracting in a vertical direction(x-direction in the drawings) and a horizontal direction (y-direction inthe drawings). The vertical direction is defined as a directionperpendicular to the sole part 21, and the horizontal direction isdefined as a width direction of the sole part 21 (in the drawings, adirection from a heel to toes is indicated as z-direction).

Specifically, the nonslip part 3 includes a horizontal strip-shaped part(first strip-shaped part) 31 which extends in a substantially horizontaldirection across the Achilles' tendon A and two vertical strip-shapedparts (second strip-shaped parts) 32 a and 32 b which extend in asubstantially vertical direction. The two vertical strip-shaped parts 32a and 32 b are provided so that a calcaneus B (or calcaneal tuber C) issandwiched therebetween. Note that, in the present embodiment, the twovertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 b are provided so as to have aslight angle with a vertical direction. This causes a distance, betweenthe two vertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 b, to become larger ascloser to the sole part 21.

By thus combining the horizontal strip-shaped part 31 with the twovertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 b in a substantially horseshoeshape in which a sole part 21 side is opened, it is possible to subduethe cloth of the heel part 24 from expanding and contracting in verticaland horizontal directions.

Note that it is preferable to provide the nonslip part 3 such that acenter portion of a back surface of the calcaneus B (e.g. calcanealtuber C) is located within a rectangular region R. The rectangularregion R is defined by (i) two sides which abut on respective endportions of the nonslip part 3 in a vertical direction (i.e. an upperend portion of the horizontal strip-shaped part 31 and lower endportions of the vertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 b) and which areparallel to each other in a horizontal direction and (ii) two sideswhich abut on respective end portions of the nonslip part 3 in ahorizontal direction (i.e. a left end portion of the verticalstrip-shaped part 32 a and a right end portion of the verticalstrip-shaped part 32 b) and which are parallel to each other in avertical direction. This allows suitably subduing expansion andcontraction, in vertical and horizontal directions, of a portion of theheel part 24 at which portion the cloth of the heel part 24 is easy tomove.

Furthermore, as in the present embodiment, the nonslip part 3 ispreferably designed such that (i) the horizontal strip-shaped part 31and the vertical strip-shaped part 32 a are connected with each otherand (ii) the horizontal strip-shaped part 31 and the verticalstrip-shaped part 32 b are connected with each other, so that thehorizontal strip-shaped part 31, the vertical strip-shaped part 32 a,and the vertical strip-shaped part 32 b are continuous one another. Thiscauses a partial displacement of the nonslip part 3 to become difficultto occur. It is therefore possible to further effectively subdue thecloth of the heel part 24 from expanding and contracting in vertical andhorizontal directions.

[Effect of Foot Cover 1]

The cloth of the heel part 24 is pulled in a vertical direction, in acase where the cloth of the heel part 24 does not follow, duringwalking, a motion of a neighborhood portion of the Achilles' tendon A.The cloth of the heel part is also pulled in a horizontal direction,because a mechanism of walking includes not only a bending andstretching motion of an ankle in a vertical direction but also a motionof the ankle in a horizontal direction (extraversion direction orinversion direction). It is therefore not possible to subdue thedisplacement of the nonslip part 3 caused by expansion and contractionof the cloth of the heel part 24, merely by subduing only one of (i)expansion and contraction of the cloth of the heel part 24 in a verticaldirection and (ii) expansion and contraction of the cloth of the heelpart 24 in a horizontal direction.

In view of the circumstances, the foot cover 1 is provided such that thehorizontal strip-shaped part 31 and the two vertical strip-shaped parts32 a and 32 b are combined with one another in a substantially horseshoeshape in which the sole part 21 side is opened. This allows for subdualof expansion and contraction of the cloth of the heel part 24 invertical and horizontal directions.

According to the foot cover 1, (i) the horizontal strip-shaped part 31is provided above that portion, (ii) the vertical strip-shaped part 32 ais provided on a left side of that portion, and (iii) the verticalstrip-shaped part 32 b is provided on a right side of that portion, soas to surround a portion of the heel part 24 at which portion the clothof the heel part 24 is easy to move (i.e., so as to surround a portionof the heel part 24 which portion corresponds to a center of a backsurface of the calcaneus B). Consequently, the nonslip part 3 cansuitably subdue the cloth of the heel part 24 from expanding andcontracting in vertical and horizontal directions.

Furthermore, since the main body part 2 is made of highly elastic cloth,the cloth itself of the heel part 24 suitably fits the shape of theheel. Accordingly, the foot cover 1 is not displaced even when a shoeetc. move. It is therefore possible to obtain a sufficient nonslipeffect.

Furthermore, the nonslip part 3 is provided so that a plurality ofstrip-shaped parts are continuous each other. Since the nonslip part 3is easy to fit the heel, a sufficient nonslip effect can be obtained.Since it is further possible to sufficiently secure air-permeability,skin is not sensitive to sweat etc.

It is known that the shape of the circumference of calcaneonavicularwhich circumscribes a foot via a heel and an instep does not changegreatly in walking. Accordingly, even if the nonslip part 3 subduesexpansion and contraction of the cloth of the heel part 24, discomfortduring wearing the foot cover 1 is difficult to occur. On the otherhand, since the sole part 21 (width of midfoot etc.) expands andcontracts in response to extension of an arch of a sole, discomfort inwearing the foot cover 1 is easy to occur in a case of subduingexpansion and contraction of the cloth of the sole part 21. By thusproviding the heel part 24 with the nonslip part 3, it is possible toprevent a decrease in comfort in wearing the foot cover 1.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize the footcover 1 capable of suitably subduing the foot cover 1 from beingdisplaced or a foot from being out of the foot cover 1 withoutdecreasing comfort in wearing the foot cover 1.

[Variation 1]

(a) through (m) of FIG. 3 are rear views illustrating respectivevariations of the nonslip part 3 in accordance with the presentembodiment.

The nonslip part 3 is not limited to the aforementioned shape, providedthat it can subdue the cloth of the heel part 24 from expanding andcontracting in vertical and horizontal directions.

For example, as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 canhave a substantially H-shape in which the horizontal strip-shaped part31 is provided so as to be connected with center portions of the twovertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 b.

Alternatively, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 canhave a substantially T-shape in which a center portion of the horizontalstrip-shaped part 31 is connected with an upper end portion of avertical strip-shaped part 32 c which extends in a vertical direction.Alternatively, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 canhave a substantially reverse T-shape in which a center portion of thehorizontal strip-shaped part 31 is connected with a lower end portion ofa vertical strip-shaped part 32 c which extends in a vertical direction.

Alternatively, as illustrated in (d) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 canhave a substantially horseshoe shape in which an opening part 2 a sideis opened and in which the horizontal strip-shaped part 31 is connectedwith lower end portions of two vertical strip-shaped parts 32 c and 32 dwhich extend parallel in a substantially vertical direction.

Alternatively, as illustrated in (e) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 canhave a substantially square shape in which upper end portions of twovertical strip-shaped parts 32 c and 32 d which extend parallel in asubstantially vertical direction are connected with a horizontalstrip-shaped part 31 a which extends in a substantially horizontaldirection, and lower end portions of the two vertical strip-shaped parts32 c and 32 d are connected with a horizontal strip-shaped part 31 bwhich extends in a substantially horizontal direction.

Alternatively, as illustrated in (f) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 canhave a substantially X-shape consisting of two oblique strip-shapedparts (third strip-shaped parts) 33 a and 33 b which extend in obliquedirections different from a substantially vertical direction and asubstantially horizontal direction and which cross each other atrespective center portions thereof.

Alternatively, as illustrated in (g) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 canhave a substantially V-shape consisting of an oblique strip-shaped part33 a and an oblique strip-shaped part 33 b which are connected with eachother at respective lower end portions thereof. Alternatively, asillustrated in (h) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 can have a reverseV-shape consisting of an oblique strip-shaped part 33 a and an obliquestrip-shaped part 33 b which are connected with each other at respectiveupper end portions thereof.

Alternatively, as illustrated in (i) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part 3 canhave a substantially M-shape in which upper end portions of two verticalstrip-shaped parts 32 c and 32 d which extend parallel in asubstantially vertical direction are respectively connected with obliquestrip-shaped parts 33 a and 33 b which are connected with each other toform a substantially V-shape.

Alternatively, as illustrated in (j) and (k) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part3 can have a curved shape in which a curved strip-shaped part (fourthstrip-shaped part) 34 is provided so as to surround a center portion ofa back surface of the calcaneus B (e.g. calcaneal tuber C).

Alternatively, as illustrated in (l) and (m) of FIG. 3, the nonslip part3 can be designed so as to include two curved strip-shaped parts 34 aand 34 b which cross each other and which surround a center portion of aback surface of the calcaneus B (e.g. calcaneal tuber C).

Note, in any of the configurations illustrated in (a) of FIG. 3 through(m) of FIG. 3, that it is preferable to provide the nonslip part 3 suchthat a center portion of a back surface of the calcaneus B (e.g.calcaneal tuber C) is located at a center of the rectangular region R.This allows the nonslip part 3 to be subdued from being displaced whilesuitably subduing expansion and contraction of the heel part 24 invertical and horizontal directions.

Note also that the shape of the nonslip part 3 is not limited to any ofthe aforementioned shapes. The nonslip part 3 can have any shapeobtained by appropriately combining the horizontal strip-shaped parts31, 31 a, and 31 b, the vertical strip-shaped parts 32 a, 32 b, 32 c,and 32 d, the oblique strip-shaped parts 33 a and 33 b, and the curvedstrip-shaped parts 34, 34 a, and 34 b so that expansion and contractionof the cloth of the heel part 24 can be subdued in vertical andhorizontal directions.

[Variation 2]

FIG. 4 is a rear view illustrating another variation of the nonslip part3 in accordance with the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4,the nonslip part 3 is not necessarily configured such that (i) thehorizontal strip-shaped part 31 and the vertical strip-shaped part 32 aare connected with each other and (ii) the horizontal strip-shaped part31 and the vertical strip-shaped part 32 b are connected with eachother.

Even in a case of such a configuration, the horizontal strip-shaped part31 can also subdue the cloth of the heel part 24 from expanding andcontracting, in a horizontal direction, in response to a motion of anankle in a horizontal direction (in an extraversion direction orinversion direction). Even in a case of such a configuration, thevertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 b can also subdue the cloth ofthe heel part 24 from expanding and contracting in a vertical directionin response to a bending and stretching motion of the ankle in avertical direction.

Note, however, that in the case where (i) the horizontal strip-shapedpart 31 is connected with the vertical strip-shaped part 32 a and (ii)the horizontal strip-shaped part 31 is connected with the verticalstrip-shaped part 32 b so that the horizontal strip-shaped part 31, thevertical strip-shaped part 31 a, and the vertical strip-shaped part 31 bare continuous one another, the strip-shaped part 3 becomes difficult tobe partially displaced. Accordingly, connecting the horizontalstrip-shaped part 31 with the vertical strip-shaped part 32 a andconnecting the horizontal strip-shaped part 31 with the verticalstrip-shaped part 32 b is preferable since such connection allowseffectively subduing expansion and contraction of the cloth of the heelpart 24 in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment and itsvariations, but can be altered by a skilled person in the art within thescope of the claims. An embodiment derived from a proper combination oftechnical means each disclosed in the embodiment and its variations isalso encompassed in the technical scope of the present invention.

EXAMPLES

The following description will discuss Examples of the present inventionwith reference to FIGS. 5 through 7. In the Examples, a nonslip effectof legwear of the present invention was verified.

(a) of FIG. 5 through (f) of FIG. 5 are rear views illustrating nonslipparts tested in the respective Examples. As illustrated in (a) of FIG. 5and (b) of FIG. 5, in the Examples, as the nonslip part of the presentinvention, there were prepared a nonslip part 3 a and a nonslip part 3 beach having a substantially horseshoe shape in which the sole part 21side was opened. A difference between the nonslip part 3 a and thenonslip part 3 b lies in that a width between two vertical strip-shapedparts 32 a′ and 32 b′ of the nonslip part 3 b is smaller than a widthbetween two vertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 b of the nonslippart 3 a.

Furthermore, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 5 through (f) of FIG. 5,there were prepared, as comparison targets, a nonslip part 103 a whichwas obtained by removing the horizontal band part 31 from the nonslippart 3 a and which consisted of the vertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and32 b; a nonslip part 103 b which consisted of a vertical strip-shapedpart 32 c extending in a substantially vertical direction; a nonslippart 103 c which consisted of a horizontal strip-shaped part 31 cextending in a substantially horizontal direction; and a nonslip part103 d which consisted of a horizontal strip-shaped part 31 d whose width(width in vertical direction) was larger than that of the horizontalstrip-shaped part 31 c.

[Test Method]

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a test method carried out in theExamples.

(1) In each of (i) a case where a female standard foot mannequin worefoot covers having respective nonslip parts, (ii) a case where a femalestandard foot mannequin wore panty stockings and further wore, on thepanty stockings, foot covers having respective nonslip parts, and (iii)a case where a stockingless foot wore foot covers having respectivenonslip parts, tensility (stress) at a time when the foot cover waspulled from a heel toward toes was measured with use of a tensile tester(digital force gauge ZP50N) 41, as illustrated in FIG. 6.(2) Each sample was measured five times, and an average of tensility ata time when the foot cover slipped off was calculated.

[Test Result]

TABLE 1 Comparative Comparative Comparative Comparative Example 1Example 2 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Area of nonslip part(mm²) 1006 958 750 275 275 572 Mannequin (N/mm²) — — 0.51 ± 0.03 0.46 +0.03 0.57 ± 0.02 1.51 ± 0.02 (—) (—) (0.00068) (0.00167) (0.00207)(0.00264) Mannequin + stocking (N/mm²) 2.59 ± 0.22 2.53 ± 0.03 0.56 ±0.02 0.60 ± 0.01 0.64 ± 0.03 1.08 ± 0.03 (0.00257) (0.00264) (0.00074)(0.00218) (0.00232) (0.00189) Stockingless leg (N/mm²) 2.94 ± 0.09 2.60± 0.09 0.38 ± 0.01 0.37 ± 0.03 0.42 ± 0.01 0.74 ± 0.02 (0.00292)(0.00271) (0.00050) (0.00134) (0.00152) (0.00129)

Table 1 shows the results of the tests carried out in the respectiveExamples. FIG. 7 shows graphs of the results of the tests carried out inthe respective Examples. (a) of FIG. 7 shows the result of the test inthe case where a female standard foot mannequin wore foot covers havingrespective nonslip parts. (b) of FIG. 7 shows the result of the test inthe case where a female standard foot mannequin wore panty stockings andfurther wore, on the panty stockings, foot covers having respectivenonslip parts. (c) of FIG. 7 shows the result of the test in the casewhere a stockingless foot wore foot covers having respective nonslipparts.

In Table 1 and (a) through (c) of FIG. 7, the foot cover having thenonslip part 3 a is referred to as Example 1, the foot cover having thenonslip part 3 b is referred to as Example 2, the foot cover having thenonslip part 103 a is referred to as Comparative Example 1, the footcover having the 103 b is referred to as Comparative Example 2, the footcover having the nonslip part 103 c is referred to as ComparativeExample 3, and the foot cover having the nonslip part 103 d is referredto as Comparative Example 4. A numeral value in parentheses in Table 1is a value obtained by dividing tensility (N/mm²) by an area (mm²) ofthe nonslip part, and is an index indicative of a nonslip ability ofindividual nonslip part per unit area.

As shown in Table 1 and (a) of FIG. 7, in the case where a femalestandard foot mannequin wore foot covers having respective nonslipparts, the foot cover of Example 1 and the foot cover of Example 2 didnot allow the foot to be out of the foot cover even when the foot coverwas pulled at a limit value beyond which the cloth of the foot coverwould break.

In contrast, an average of tensility at a time when the foot got out ofthe foot cover of Comparative Example 1 was 0.51±0.03, an average oftensility at a time when the foot got out of the foot cover ofComparative Example 2 was 0.46±0.03, an average of tensility at a timewhen the foot got out of the foot cover of Comparative Example 3 was0.57±0.02, and an average of tensility at a time when the foot got outof the foot cover of Comparative Example 4 was 1.51±0.02.

As shown in Table 1 and (b) of FIG. 7, in the case where a femalestandard foot mannequin wore panty stockings and further wore, on thepanty stockings, foot covers having respective nonslip parts, an averageof tensility at a time when the foot got out of the foot cover ofExample 1 was 2.59±0.22, and an average of tensility at a time when thefoot got out of the foot cover of Example 2 was 2.53±0.03.

In contrast, an average of tensility at a time when the foot got out ofthe foot cover of Comparative Example 1 was 0.56±0.02, an average oftensility at a time when the foot got out of the foot cover ofComparative Example 2 was 0.60±0.01, an average of tensility at a timewhen the foot got out of the foot cover of Comparative Example 3 was0.64±0.03, and an average of tensility at a time when the foot got outof the foot cover of Comparative Example 4 was 1.08±0.03.

As shown in Table 1 and (c) of FIG. 7, in the case where a stockinglessfoot wore foot covers having respective nonslip parts, an average oftensility at a time when the foot got out of the foot cover of Example 1was 2.94±0.09, and an average of tensility at a time when the foot gotout of the foot cover of Example 2 was 2.60±0.09.

In contrast, an average of tensility at a time when the foot got out ofthe foot cover of Comparative Example 1 was 0.38±0.01, an average oftensility at a time when the foot got out of the foot cover ofComparative Example 2 was 0.37±0.03, an average of tensility at a timewhen the foot got out of the foot cover of Comparative Example 3 was0.42±0.01, and an average of tensility at a time when the foot got outof the foot cover of Comparative Example 4 was 0.74±0.02.

As described above, in each of the case where a female standard footmannequin wore foot covers having respective nonslip parts, the casewhere a female standard foot mannequin wore panty stockings and furtherwore, on the panty stockings, foot covers having respective nonslipparts, and the case where a stockingless foot wore foot covers havingrespective nonslip parts, the foot covers of Examples 1 and 2 weredifficult to allow the foot to get out of the foot covers and had ahigher nonslip effect as compared with the foot covers of ComparativeExamples 1-4.

This is because in the foot covers of Examples 1 and 2, the horizontalstrip-shaped part 31 and the vertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 bor the horizontal strip-shaped part 31 and the vertical strip-shapedparts 32 a′ and 32 b′ subdue expansion and contraction of the cloth ofthe heel part 24 in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, sothat displacement of the nonslip part due to the expansion andcontraction of the cloth of the heel part 24 was subdued, andconsequently the nonslip part yielded a sufficient nonslip effect.

In contrast, in the foot covers of Comparative Examples 1-4, the clothof the heel part 24 expanded and contracted in a vertical direction or ahorizontal direction. For example, in the foot cover of ComparativeExample 1, the two vertical strip-shaped parts 32 a and 32 b of thenonslip part 103 a were not connected with each other, so that the clothof the heel part 24 expanded and contracted in a horizontal direction.Consequently, in the foot covers of Comparative Examples 1-4, thenonslip part was displaced due to expansion and contraction of the clothof the heel part 24, so that the nonslip part could not yield asufficient nonslip effect.

As above, it was confirmed from these Examples that the legwear of thepresent invention has a high nonslip effect.

[Conclusion]

Legwear of the present invention includes: a main body part including asole part which covers a sole and a heel part which covers a heel, themain body part having elasticity; and a nonslip part provided inside ofthe heel part, the nonslip part having elasticity lower than that of acloth of the heel part, the nonslip part including strip-shaped partswhich prevent the cloth of the heel part from expanding and contractingin a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, where the verticaldirection is a direction perpendicular to the sole part and thehorizontal direction is a width direction of the sole part.

In walking, the cloth of the heel part is pulled in a vertical directiondue to a bending and stretching motion of an ankle in a verticaldirection, so that the main body part is displaced or a foot gets out ofthe main body. Furthermore, since a mechanism of walking includes notonly a bending and stretching motion of an ankle in a vertical directionbut also a motion of the ankle in a horizontal direction (extraversiondirection or inversion direction), the cloth of the heel part is pulledin a horizontal direction, too, so that the main body part may bedisplaced or the foot gets out of the main body.

In order to deal with this, in the above arrangement, the nonslip partincludes strip-shaped parts which prevent the cloth of the heel partfrom expanding and contracting in vertical and horizontal directions.The nonslip part prevents the main body part from slipping by subduing,with use of the strip-shaped parts, expansion and contraction of thecloth of the heel part in vertical and horizontal directions.

For example, by providing the strip-shaped parts extending in two ormore different directions, the cloth of the heel part is subdued fromexpanding and contracting in ranges of vertical and horizontaldirections in which the strip-shaped parts are provided. This can subduethe nonslip part from being displaced due to expansion and contractionof the cloth of the heel part which is caused by motions such aswalking.

Furthermore, in the arrangement, the nonslip part consists of thestrip-shaped parts. This allows yielding a sufficient nonslip effectbecause the nonslip part is easy to fit a heel, and this also allowsskin to be not sensitive to sweat etc.

Therefore, with the arrangement, it is possible to realize legwearcapable of suitably subduing the legwear from being displaced or a footfrom being out of the legwear without decreasing comfort in wearing thelegwear.

The legwear of the present invention may be arranged such that thestrip-shaped parts include: a first strip-shaped part which extends in asubstantially horizontal direction; and one or more second strip-shapedparts each of which extends in a substantially vertical direction.

With the arrangement, the first strip-shaped part can subdue the clothof the heel part from expanding and contracting in a horizontaldirection due to a motion of an ankle in a horizontal direction(extroversion direction or inversion direction), and the one or moresecond strip-shaped parts can subdue the cloth of the heel part fromexpanding and contracting in a vertical direction due to a bending andstretching motion of the ankle in a vertical direction.

Therefore, with the arrangement, the nonslip part can subdue the clothof the heel part from expanding and contracting in vertical andhorizontal directions.

In the present specification, “extend in a substantially horizontaldirection” indicates extending in a horizontal direction and extendingin a virtually horizontal direction. Accordingly, the first strip-shapedpart may extend in a direction having a slight angle with a horizontaldirection. Similarly, “extend in a substantially vertical direction”indicates extending in a vertical direction and extending in a virtuallyvertical direction. Accordingly, the one or more second strip-shapedparts may extend in a direction having a slight angle with a verticaldirection.

The legwear of the present invention may be arranged such that said oneor more second strip-shaped parts are two second strip-shaped parts, andthe two second strip-shaped parts are provided such that a calcaneus issandwiched therebetween.

With the arrangement, by providing two second strip-shaped parts suchthat a calcaneus is sandwiched therebetween, it is possible to suitablysubdue expansion and contraction, in a vertical direction, of a portionof the heel part at which portion the cloth of the heel part is easy tomove (portion of the heel part which portion corresponds to a center ofa back surface of the calcaneus).

Therefore, with the arrangement, it is possible to effectively subduethe cloth of the heel part from expanding and contracting in a verticaldirection.

The legwear of the present invention may be arranged such that the firststrip-shaped part is provided across an Achilles' tendon, and the twostrip-shaped parts extend from both ends of the first strip-shaped parttoward the sole part.

In the arrangement, the first strip-shaped part is provided above aportion of the heel part at which portion the cloth of the heel part iseasy to move (portion of the heel part which portion corresponds to acenter of a back surface of the calcaneus). Accordingly, it is possibleto suitably subdue that portion from expanding and contracting invertical and horizontal directions.

Therefore, with the arrangement, it is possible to effectively subduethe cloth of the heel part from expanding and contracting in verticaland horizontal directions.

The legwear of the present invention may be arranged such that thestrip-shaped part includes a plurality of third strip-shaped parts whichextend in respective directions, each direction being different from asubstantially vertical direction and a substantially horizontaldirection, and the plurality of third strip-shaped parts cross eachother.

In the arrangement, the strip-shaped part includes a plurality of thirdstrip-shaped parts which extend in respective directions, each directionbeing different from a substantially vertical direction and asubstantially horizontal direction, and the plurality of thirdstrip-shaped parts cross each other. Also with the arrangement, it ispossible to subdue the cloth of the heel part from expanding andcontracting in ranges of vertical and horizontal directions in which theplurality of third strip-shaped parts are provided.

Therefore, with the arrangement, by combining the plurality of thirdstrip-shaped parts extending in respective directions each of which isdifferent from a substantially vertical direction and a substantiallyhorizontal direction, it is possible to realize a nonslip part capableof subduing the cloth of the heel part from expanding and contracting invertical and horizontal directions.

The legwear of the present invention may be arranged such that thestrip-shaped part includes a fourth strip-shaped part which extends in acurved manner.

With the arrangement, with use of the fourth strip-shaped part which hasa curved shape and whose direction of extension changes continuously, itis possible to subdue the cloth of the heel part from expanding andcontracting in vertical and horizontal directions.

For example, by providing the fourth strip-shaped part in such a mannerthat the fourth strip-shaped part surrounds a portion of the heel partat which portion the cloth of the heel part is easy to move (portion ofthe heel part which portion corresponds to a center of a back surface ofthe calcaneus), it is possible to effectively subdue the cloth of theheel part from expanding and contracting in vertical and horizontaldirections.

The legwear of the present invention may be arranged such that thestrip-shaped parts are provided so as to be continuous each other.

With the arrangement, the strip-shaped parts are provided so as to becontinuous each other, so that the strip-shaped parts are less likely tobe partially displaced. This allows further effectively subduing thecloth of the heel part from expanding and contracting in vertical andhorizontal directions.

The legwear of the present invention may be arranged such that thenonslip part is a sheet-like member obtained by applying a resin havinga friction coefficient higher than that of cloth of the main body partto a base material.

With the arrangement, it is possible to easily and evenly apply, to thebase material as a whole, the resin having a friction coefficient higherthan that of the cloth of the main body part.

With the arrangement, it is possible to further effectively subdue thecloth of the heel part from expanding and contracting in vertical andhorizontal directions. Furthermore, since the sheet-shaped nonslip partobtained by applying the resin to the base material is provided on theinside of the heel part, it is possible to effectively subdue thelegwear from being displaced or a foot from being out of the legwear.

[Supplementary]

The present invention can be expressed as follows. (a) through (c) ofFIG. 8 are schematic views illustrating a configuration of the nonslippart 3 included in the legwear of the present invention. Specifically,(a) of FIG. 8 is a conceptual view illustrating a virtual sphericaltriangle T in a sphere (heel) S. (b) of FIG. 8 is a rear viewillustrating the nonslip part 3. (c) of FIG. 8 is a rear viewillustrating another nonslip part 3.

As illustrated in (a) and (b) of FIG. 8, the legwear of the presentinvention is legwear made of elastic cloth, and includes the nonslippart 3 having lower elasticity and higher friction than the elasticcloth. The nonslip part 3 may be a combination of narrow strip-shapedparts which pass through apexes P1, P2, and P3 (or extend from theapexes P1, P2, and P3) of the virtual spherical triangle T at the heelwhen a user wears the legwear.

Alternatively, the legwear of the present invention may be arranged suchthat one of the apexes of the virtual spherical triangle T (apex P1 in(b) of FIG. 8) is provided at a position corresponding to a calcaneus.

Alternatively, the legwear of the present invention may be arranged suchthat one of the apexes of the virtual spherical triangle T (apex P1 in(b) of FIG. 8) is provided so that a part of the narrow strip-shapedparts is positioned along Achilles' tendon.

Alternatively, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 8, the legwear of thepresent invention may be arranged such that the narrow strip-shaped partpasses through a point P4 which is positioned outside the virtualspherical triangle T.

As described above, the nonslip part 3 may be a combination of narrowstrip-shaped parts which pass through the apexes P1, P2, and P3 (orextend from the apexes P1, P2, and P3) of the virtual spherical triangleT. By three-dimensionally covering a heel with the nonslip part 3 asabove, it is possible to suitably subdue the nonslip part 3 from beingdisplaced due to expansion and contraction of the cloth of the heel part24 which is caused by motions such as walking.

Therefore, with the arrangement, it is possible to realize legwearcapable of suitably subduing the legwear from being displaced or a footfrom being out of the legwear without decreasing comfort in wearing thelegwear.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is applicable to various types of legwearincluding socks.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 Foot cover (legwear)-   2 Main body part-   3 Nonslip part-   21 Sole part-   24 Heel part-   31, 31 a, 31 b Horizontal strip-shaped part (first strip-shaped    part)-   32 a, 32 a′, 32 b, 32 b′, 32 c, 32 d Vertical strip-shaped part    (second strip-shaped part)-   33 Oblique strip-shaped part (third strip-shaped part)-   34, 34 a, 34 b Curved strip-shaped part (fourth strip-shaped part)-   A Achilles' tendon-   B Calcaneus-   C Calcaneal tuber-   F Foot-   R Rectangular region-   x Vertical direction-   y Horizontal direction

We claim:
 1. Legwear comprising: a main body part including a sole partwhich covers a sole and a heel part which covers a heel, the main bodypart having elasticity; and a nonslip part provided inside of the heelpart, the nonslip part having elasticity lower than that of cloth of theheel part, the nonslip part including strip-shaped parts which preventthe cloth of the heel part from expanding and contracting in a verticaldirection and a horizontal direction, where the vertical direction is adirection perpendicular to the sole part and the horizontal direction isa width direction of the sole part.
 2. The legwear as set forth in claim1, wherein the strip-shaped parts include: a first strip-shaped partwhich extends in a substantially horizontal direction; and one or moresecond strip-shaped parts each of which extends in a substantiallyvertical direction.
 3. The legwear as set forth in claim 2, wherein saidone or more second strip-shaped parts are two second strip-shaped parts,and the two second strip-shaped parts are provided such that a calcaneusis sandwiched therebetween.
 4. The legwear as set forth in claim 3,wherein the first strip-shaped part is provided across an Achilles'tendon, and the two strip-shaped parts extend from both ends of thefirst strip-shaped part toward the sole part.
 5. The legwear as setforth in claim 1, wherein the strip-shaped part includes a plurality ofthird strip-shaped parts which extend in respective directions, eachdirection being different from a substantially vertical direction and asubstantially horizontal direction, and the plurality of strip-shapedparts cross each other.
 6. The legwear as set forth in claim 1, whereinthe strip-shaped part includes a fourth strip-shaped part which extendsin a curved manner.
 7. The legwear as set forth in claim 1, wherein thestrip-shaped parts are provided so as to be continuous each other. 8.The legwear as set forth in claim 1, wherein the nonslip part is asheet-like member obtained by applying a resin having a frictioncoefficient higher than that of cloth of the main body part to a basematerial.
 9. The legwear as set forth in claim 2, wherein the nonslippart is a sheet-like member obtained by applying a resin having afriction coefficient higher than that of cloth of the main body part toa base material.
 10. The legwear as set forth in claim 3, wherein thenonslip part is a sheet-like member obtained by applying a resin havinga friction coefficient higher than that of cloth of the main body partto a base material.
 11. The legwear as set forth in claim 4, wherein thenonslip part is a sheet-like member obtained by applying a resin havinga friction coefficient higher than that of cloth of the main body partto a base material.
 12. The legwear as set forth in claim 5, wherein thenonslip part is a sheet-like member obtained by applying a resin havinga friction coefficient higher than that of cloth of the main body partto a base material.
 13. The legwear as set forth in claim 6, wherein thenonslip part is a sheet-like member obtained by applying a resin havinga friction coefficient higher than that of cloth of the main body partto a base material.
 14. The legwear as set forth in claim 7, wherein thenonslip part is a sheet-like member obtained by applying a resin havinga friction coefficient higher than that of cloth of the main body partto a base material.